Honestly, most of us use maybe ten percent of what our iPhones can actually do. We scroll TikTok, send a blue-bubble text, and take photos of our lunch. That’s about it. But underneath that glass and aluminum is a ridiculous amount of utility that Apple barely even mentions in their marketing.
I’ve been messing with iOS since the original "Jesus Phone" launched back in 2007. Back then, a "trick" was just making the screen rotate. Today? It’s different. We’re talking about automation, machine learning, and accessibility tools that feel like literal magic once you find them.
If you’re just scratching the surface, you’re missing out. Big time.
Why Most People Ignore iPhone Tricks
It’s the paradox of choice. Apple adds roughly 200 new features with every major iOS update, yet the home screen looks basically the same as it did five years ago. People get comfortable. We find a workflow that doesn't break, and we stick to it. But some of these iPhone tricks are specifically designed to shave seconds off your daily tasks, and those seconds add up to hours over a year.
Take the "Back Tap" feature. It’s tucked away in the Accessibility menu, which is where Apple hides all the best stuff. You can literally turn the entire back of your phone into a giant button. Double-tap the Apple logo to trigger the flashlight. Triple-tap to take a screenshot. It’s snappy. It feels like you’ve hacked the hardware.
The Camera App is Hiding a Scanner
Stop downloading third-party document scanners that want to charge you $9.99 a week. Seriously.
You've probably noticed the little "bracket" icon that pops up when you point your camera at text. That’s Live Text. It’s cool for copying a Wi-Fi password off a router, but the real power is in the Files app or Notes. If you open a new note and tap the camera icon, you get a "Scan Documents" option. Unlike a standard photo, this identifies the edges of the paper, corrects the perspective, and turns it into a searchable PDF. It's clean.
Speaking of the camera, have you tried holding the shutter button while in Photo mode? It starts recording a QuickTake video immediately. Slide it to the right to lock it. This is common knowledge for some, but I still see people fumbling to swipe over to "Video" while their kid is doing something cute. By the time they swipe, the moment is gone. Don't be that person.
The Magic of Visual Look Up
If you take a photo of a dog or a specific plant, swipe up on that photo in your gallery. If Apple’s neural engine recognizes it, you’ll see an icon like a small leaf or a paw print. Tap it. It’ll tell you exactly what breed of dog that is or if that plant in your backyard is actually poison ivy. It’s not 100% perfect—botanists might disagree on the nuances—but for a device that fits in your pocket, it’s remarkably accurate.
Mastering the Keyboard and Text Input
The iOS keyboard is frustrating. We all know it. "Ducking" autocorrect is a meme for a reason.
But there are ways to make it suck less. The best one? The spacebar trackpad. If you press and hold the spacebar, the letters disappear, and you can slide your thumb around to move the cursor with precision. It’s way better than trying to tap between two specific letters with a blunt fingertip.
Also, stop typing your email address manually.
Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Create a shortcut like "@@" that expands into your full email address. Do it for your home address too. I use "haddr" for mine. It turns a thirty-second chore into a two-second tap.
Customizing the Control Center
Most people leave the Control Center as it comes out of the box. That’s a mistake. You can add a TV remote, a screen recorder, and even a "Music Recognition" button powered by Shazam. If you’re in a bar and hear a song you like, you don't even have to unlock your phone. Swipe down, hit the Shazam icon, and it’ll find the track and save it to your history.
iPhone Tricks for Productivity (and Sanity)
Focus Modes are the most underrated part of the modern iPhone experience. Everyone knows "Do Not Disturb," but that's a blunt instrument.
You should have a "Work" Focus that only allows notifications from Slack and your boss. You should have a "Sleep" Focus that hides all your social media apps so you aren't tempted to doomscroll at 2 AM. You can even set these to trigger based on location. When you arrive at the office, your phone automatically hides Instagram. When you get home, it brings it back. It’s about setting boundaries with your own technology.
Battery Life Myths vs. Reality
Let's talk about the "Swipe Up to Close Apps" habit. Stop doing it.
Seriously. Unless an app is frozen or acting weird, closing it actually hurts your battery life. iOS is designed to keep apps in a "frozen" state in the RAM. When you force quit an app, the phone has to reload every single asset from the storage to the RAM the next time you open it. That takes more CPU power than just letting it sit dormant.
If you want to save battery, look at "Background App Refresh" instead. Turn it off for apps that don't need to be constantly checking for updates, like Facebook or random games. That’s where the real drain happens.
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The Secret "Scientific" Calculator
Open the Calculator app. It’s basic, right? Now, turn your phone sideways.
Suddenly, you have a full scientific calculator with square roots, logarithms, and trigonometry functions. It’s such a simple thing, but I’ve seen people download ad-ridden calculator apps because they didn't realize their iPhone already had the "pro" version built-in. Just make sure your orientation lock is turned off.
Hidden Photos and Privacy
We all have photos we’d rather not have visible when we’re showing someone a picture of our cat. You can select any photo, tap the three dots, and hit "Hide." It goes into a "Hidden" folder. In the past, that folder was easy to find. Now, you can go into Settings > Photos and require FaceID to open that folder. It's a genuine layer of privacy that most people forget exists.
Practical Next Steps for Your iPhone
Start small. Don't try to master every single one of these iPhone tricks tonight.
First, set up your Text Replacements for your email and address. It’s the highest ROI change you can make. Next, head into the Accessibility menu and play with Back Tap. Assign it to something you use constantly, like the Flashlight or the Camera.
Finally, take five minutes to audit your Control Center. Remove the stuff you never touch (looking at you, Home app) and add the tools that actually matter, like Low Power Mode or Screen Recording. Your phone is a tool. It should work for you, not the other way around. Over time, these small adjustments stop being "tricks" and just become part of how you move through your digital life.